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[–]The_Shield1212   1522 points1523 points  (128 children)

I thought people kill them first? I've seen videos of Gordon Ramsay teaching how to quickly kill lobster before boiling, thought that was a standard.

[–]JTDrift   388 points389 points  (82 children)

The instant kill is a relatively new standard. I went to culinary school between 2004 and 2007 and we were taught to just throw them into cooking liquid of choice head first. And the liquid must be a rolling boil to be humane.

[–]NotoriousArseBandit   92 points93 points  (68 children)

Boiling alive cannot be humane in any fucking way

[–]JTDrift   139 points140 points  (34 children)

Didn't say it was. Just said that that's what we were taught back then. Again, instant killing before cooking is a relatively new standard.

[–]mnguyen318   25 points26 points  (26 children)

Im just super curious, do you know why it's a new standard to teach instant killing in culinary school?

[–]JTDrift   61 points62 points  (5 children)

Don't really know what exactly they're teaching in cooking school since I'm currently not a part of any schools currently in any capacity. But I have seen the practice being done in multiple kitchens through out GA (where I currently live). I personally think that it has to do with a growing trend of the general public slowly becoming more in tune to food sourcing and standards. And some culinary professionals are very aware of the trend and trying to stay ahead of the curve.

Honestly, it could also be a bit of changing of the guard. Older cooks are leaving the profession. Newer cooks are coming in with new ideas and standards. I personally don't feel bad about cooking food. Whether it's animal or vegetable. I see it as just the circle of life, you know? Have to cook live shellfish? Into the pot you go or commercial steam cabinet. Just hope I remember to stab you guys in the back of the head first. Trying to break old habits and make new habits out of new standards and guidelines.

I can only speak for myself. And while I do view everything I cook as just food, I'm still aware that it is/was still a living being at some point. Doing my job, I come across a lot of minor imperfections that I need to work around or use differently. The ones that still manage to pull me out of it is whenever I see a chicken leg that's broken. I honestly hope that bone was broken after they were harvested/butcher. I used to work in a sushi place for a few years. And whenever I broke down whole salmon fillets that every once in a while had an obviously crooked spine, I think to my friends that have scoliosis and the pain and issues they live with. And I hope that this portion of a formerly living fish didn't have too rough a time before it's end.

And that's just me in almost 15yrs of cooking. Nevermind other more empathic cooks that are pioneers in the field and rewriting the way things are done. Gordon Ramsey is a wonderful example of a Chef that cares about his food and art. Truly believes and practices Farm To Table.

tl:dr Cooks today will kill and eat animals. Doesn't mean we want to be dicks about it.

[–]mnguyen318   6 points7 points  (4 children)

Hey I'm in GA too. :)

But yeah, I'm similar in a way that I feel bad about animals who get killed but it's like.. it's the circle of life. You eat and get eaten.

My first guess about the standards are that it might have been political, but probably moreso cultural since it is about the younger new cooks who bring in these new standards. The need to keep up with the market (food conscious diners) is also kind of a part of that new culture.

[–]JTDrift   5 points6 points  (1 child)

I agree with the cultural aspect over the political. Younger cooks from different backgrounds and traditions bringing in what they know and mold it to current rules and regulations. Then bending and changing the rules as they go along. It's a slow process for such a massive industry. I just hope I don't turn into a curmudgeon naysayer over the years. I'm already curmudgeon, as is expected as a cook. But I'm still open to new ideas.

[–]mnguyen318   3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's pretty interesting to think about the evolution of the culinary world and how it molds itself based on the circumstances. Thanks for this short discussion!

Also, hope is good, but don't limit yourself to only hoping. Make conscious decisions everyday, and you'll be a bit closer to your goal :)

[–]kimchiandsweettea   4 points5 points  (1 child)

As a person who is not a cook or chef (though I admire them very much! I’m currently reading a book by Ruth Reichl), I feel that the best thing people can do is honor all food (both animals and produce) by trying our best to not be wasteful.

It is my personal mission at home to be sure that as much food as possible is not wasted. I think of the animals that gave their lives so that I can eat. I think of the farmers and resources that go into growing produce—the trucks that deliver the food, the cooks/chefs who prepare the meals. How disrespectful it is to order a meal and then throw it out a few days later! The hours (and in some cases years) that were invested in growing, harvesting, and slaughtering the ingredients!

Sure, we should care about how humanely animals meant for consumption are treated in the kitchen, but equal responsibility falls on the shoulders of diners to be sure that food is not treated like something that is completely disposable and renewable. The chain of responsible eating truly stretches from farm to fork.

[–]Thibbledorf_Pwent   11 points12 points  (16 children)

People will stay say they don't feel pain to this day. As if we can be really sure. It's used a lot to justify inhumane practices on a lot of animals to be honest. Especially fish etc. Even if there's "no conclusive evidence" that they do or don't feel pain I think there's enough doubt to you know.. NOT literally boil them to death?! Just in case?!

[–]PM-ME-BOOKSHELF-PICS   3 points4 points  (0 children)

Well, David Foster Wallace's Consider the Lobster didn't come out till 2004.

[–]Hawaiian_Shirts_Rule   milk meister 624 points625 points  (15 children)

It's slowly becoming the standard.

[–]Quartnsession   194 points195 points  (10 children)

It's been the standard in most kitchens for a long time. Seafood markets on the other hand not so much.

[–]dinosaurus552344   4866 points4867 points  (515 children)

You should buy them live to ensure its fresh because seafood does go off super quick, but you should still quickly kill it just before cooking. There's tons of videos on how to do it properly on YouTube

[–]boogaluau   4100 points4101 points  (238 children)

12 gauge?

[–]Cherrijuicyjuice   1456 points1457 points  (178 children)

Close. Knife straight to the dome.

[–]911child   209 points210 points  (23 children)

This kills the crab.

[–]ZombieLeftist   487 points488 points  (96 children)

Anybody else feel like time is a flat circle?

[–]NRHF2   338 points339 points  (23 children)

My ancestors are smiling at me imperial! Can you say the same?

[–]BCAMP22   92 points93 points  (12 children)

Never gonna hesitate on taking out a shellfish again. I know what happens 10 seconds after this.

[–]willfordbrimly   59 points60 points  (9 children)

NEVER SHOULDA COME HERE

[–]Myskinisnotmyown   16 points17 points  (1 child)

happy Nirnroot noises

[–]aDragonsAle   2 points3 points  (0 children)

  • Crimson Nirnroot

Murder tiiiiiime...

[–]rezmeihaveghorn   5 points6 points  (6 children)

Huh, must’ve run off

[–]justinproxy   6 points7 points  (5 children)

What was that?

[–]rezmeihaveghorn   9 points10 points  (4 children)

gets shot through the fucking skull with an arrow

Must’ve been the wind

[–]TheMobHunter   36 points37 points  (1 child)

random sweetroll has entered the chat

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Let me guess, someone killed your crab

[–]Maldreamer141   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Gotta keep my eyes open, Damn dragons could sweep down at any time

[–]NigTanto   109 points110 points  (17 children)

I feel so sad for that lad.

[–]catch-a-penny   83 points84 points  (13 children)

Honestly, dropping it into a boiling pot seems more humane and quick after looking at that picture.

[–]VocalLocalYokel   76 points77 points  (2 children)

He's got that look that says go on, just fucking do it.

[–]dooblr   18 points19 points  (0 children)

Read this in Ricky Gervais’s voice.

[–]crivs14   18 points19 points  (0 children)

Oh my god

[–]chichomeless   35 points36 points  (24 children)

I work in a restaurant. Witnessed the chef doing this the other night. It was so horrible to see. I'll never forget it :,(

[–]nannal   54 points55 points  (20 children)

It might break you to guess what they make lamb out of.

[–]Catman419   12 points13 points  (13 children)

Umm, lambs?

Edit - A sheep in its first year is a lamb and its meat is also lamb. A sheep in its second year and its meat are hogget. Older sheep meat is mutton.

[–]broccolibadass   Walk on Water was a good song 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Nope, Chuck Testa

[–]Dynamite_Hobo   4 points5 points  (0 children)

All these squares make a circle.

[–]beto_747   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Poor crabbo, he looks so sad

[–]MethodicMarshal   2 points3 points  (8 children)

between this and feeling bad for the worms while fishing today, I've determined I have too much sympathy for my own good

[–]HolyLoafOfBread   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh damn, I wasn’t expecting something so dark...

[–]indolgofera   29 points30 points  (30 children)

But that's on lobster. How can you do it to freshly caught shrimp?

[–]iosiro   66 points67 points  (2 children)

9mm

[–]Thibbledorf_Pwent   2 points3 points  (1 child)

You're being ridiculous and I love it

[–]aDragonsAle   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, 9mm is for prawn and up - those mankey bastards.

Standard 22 for a standard shrimpy boi

[–]Santaclaustraphobic   43 points44 points  (3 children)

Piano wire around it’s neck

[–]ScientistAsHero   4 points5 points  (2 children)

You whisper "shh, shh, it's okay, just let go, it's all over now," as you take it out.

[–]Hysterika   5 points6 points  (1 child)

I have an absurd image of a shrimp being strangled to death by John Wick with a cheese wire

[–]calafragilistic   35 points36 points  (0 children)

Knife. Dome.

[–]douche_ex_machina_69   24 points25 points  (2 children)

You show it enough pictures of your cats and they just kill themselves

[–]Thibbledorf_Pwent   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wtf did you just say about my cats?

[–]sup_brah   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ever heard of Ike jima? It’s a very interesting technique to kill fish using a long pin to severe the spinal chord and kill fish so quickly that the brain can’t tell the body that it’s dead so rigor can’t set in. Very fascinating stuff. I saw some chefs in Japan using it at a reputable tempura restaurant. They are like surgeons. I’m a chef and find this stuff fascinating.

[–]DrRoflsauce117   2 points3 points  (5 children)

No matter how you kill shrimp the bulk of the death and destruction comes from the method used to collect them

[–]K_O_T_Z   6 points7 points  (1 child)

The Deep found out the hard way.

[–]benjaminblakedudes   3 points4 points  (0 children)

2 bullets to the back of the head and rule it a suicide.

[–]Aeon1508   9 points10 points  (1 child)

That ruins the presentation. I've been told freezing them is ok.

[–]Slxphz   Learn to use reddit 147 points148 points  (7 children)

Jesus you fucking animal that is just inhumane because there would be parts all over.

Use a 10 gauge to make sure it no longer exists

[–]bustierre   52 points53 points  (5 children)

Better to use a punt gun

if you want to erase it from existence.

[–]suicidemeteor   38 points39 points  (2 children)

Sic the claymore roomba on it

[–]coqroq   19 points20 points  (1 child)

I say we nuke the entire site from orbit, ...only way to be sure.

[–]LeftyBodhran   3 points4 points  (0 children)

Is this going to be a straight up fight, sir, or another bug hunt?

[–]Philosopher_1   25 points26 points  (8 children)

If you want pellets in your lobster then sure

[–]suicidemeteor   37 points38 points  (0 children)

It adds texture

[–]insane_contin   19 points20 points  (5 children)

They're flavour pellets.

[–]pandazerg   2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's why I use grapeshot on my lobsters.

[–]Spacedoc9   3 points4 points  (0 children)

Load a twelve gauge shell with salt, pepper, and cold butter.

[–]PotatoKnished   5 points6 points  (0 children)

Scrambled Crab

[–]playin4power   3 points4 points  (1 child)

Yeah that's about it. Just tape the lad to the barrel of your shotgun, fire it and scrape what ya can off the walls. Just mind the pellets and it's basically already half cooked

[–]wobermey1987   212 points213 points  (77 children)

Gordon Ramsey slices it vertically down the head, then brings the knife down cutting it's head in half (so like separate the two sides of the head, each with an eye on either side of the knife)

[–]Depression-Boy   134 points135 points  (71 children)

I’m pleasantly surprised to learn that Ramsey kills his crustaceans before boiling them.

[–]CVBrownie   263 points264 points  (65 children)

Ramsey is an excellent human being. I fucking hate how American TV portrayed him. He's brash, but actually extremely compassionate. British Kitchen Nightmares is a completely different show than the U.S. one.

[–]Moneyworks22   193 points194 points  (30 children)

Have you seen him on shows with children? He is extremely nice. You can tell that he absolutely loves children. I vaguely reading an article a while back, asking him why he is so angry on most shows. He says "Im angry with the adults because they should know better". He isnt a mean person, just a strict chef.

[–]Thanatosst   100 points101 points  (14 children)

Yeah. He's angry at people that proclaim to be professionals but fuck it up, because they're fucking up the profession he loves. Anyone else that's actually trying to learn he's spreading the love of cooking to, and trying his best to encourage. American TV just loves conflict and anger (source: every reality show ever made, ever), so that's how you end up with the American Kitchen Nightmares showing him as a foul-mouthed kitchen demon.

[–]goblinseverywhere   72 points73 points  (7 children)

He's angry at people that proclaim to be professionals but fuck it up

Thats the big difference people don't seem to realize.

If you say you're a great chef and you're not, he'll tear you apart.

If you say "I don't have a damn idea how to cook, I got roped into this as they're desperate and I want to learn but I suck" then hes ALWAYS been incredibly sympathetic and never takes it out on them.

The US version is just hyped with the same 3 soundboard effects (weird shock whine thing, generic bum-bum scene music and "battle music") along with cutting scenes up so badly that they're not even from the same shot and clearly cut out a ton of conversations for context.

The UK one isn't great but its much less cutting and crap sound effects.

With children in masterchef junior and all, hes great. Super supportive and everything.

Hes not a dick to random people for the sake of it.

End of the day, if your job is to go from business to business and see people completely fuck something up that you're 100% an expert in, then they offer 100 excuses why its not their fault.... you'd be pissed too.

Basically I agree with everything you said, I just can't stress how much it nails it.

[–]Thanatosst   16 points17 points  (0 children)

I love watching all of his other shows aside from the US Kitchen Nightmares because you can see his love of cooking come through in everything he does. I've binged some of his basics shows multiple times just because they get me so hyped about cooking simple things that I can't help but be swept up in his enthusiasm for the art. Even if you don't cook the same thing he does, he has a way of evoking whatever passion you may have for the craft and amplifying it.

[–]Steev182   24 points25 points  (3 children)

Even Masterchef vs Hell’s Kitchen (despite me kinda hating the “reality” production Masterchef is in the US), he’s much more lenient on the adults in Masterchef (home cooks) than he is in Hell’s Kitchen (already in the restaurant industry), especially when it comes to food safety.

[–]bundiganja   4 points5 points  (2 children)

Yeah especially when he was taught by a guy who had very strict standards. I can’t remember the quote exactly, but he said something about how he went into work one day, and his manager/teacher said to him “the best thing to come from you is the shit that ran down your moms leg when she gave birth”.

[–]Steev182   2 points3 points  (1 child)

Ha! Was that Marco Pierre White? It sounds like a Marco Pierre White thing...

[–]LordCharco_iii   3 points4 points  (0 children)

I love Gordon Ramsay. He has passion for every part of his life and it shows. I've made his steak a few times and it's top notch.

[–]Sulla5485   3 points4 points  (1 child)

Not really. It’s not nearly as heavily edited, but the premise is more or less the same. How he’s portrayed on tv is intentional. Hes Gordon fuckin Ramsey. Half the fun of the show is watching him turn it up to 11 and lambast incompetent staff and owners.

We all know he’s not like that all the time, but he’s got a show to make at the end of the day

[–]IcyBeginning1   2 points3 points  (0 children)

I fucking hate how American TV portrayed him.

He's an executive producer on like all of his shows. It's his call how to portray himself lmao

[–]TXR22   3 points4 points  (2 children)

Or you can use scissors like this

[–]Heart-In-A-Cage   6 points7 points  (0 children)

This kills the crab

[–]1fistiron_othersteel   3 points4 points  (0 children)

My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperial. Can you say the same?

[–]olghostdeckchefmasta   111 points112 points  (47 children)

I hate seeing them stacked on each other in the tanks. The entire meat industry is depressing.

[–]York_Phoenix   65 points66 points  (39 children)

I mean, could also drop them from high places until they smash into the pavement like birds do.

[–]AKnightAlone   4 points5 points  (4 children)

You could also rape and murder people like some humans. I feel like most creatures try their best to avoid getting murdered by other ones specifically because it isn't a good experience.

[–]chayeloco   3 points4 points  (1 child)

I used to work at a grocery store and we had live lobsters in a tank. Lobsters can live up to a year without eating so....they don’t feed them. One time a lobster got loose and ate one of the other ones clean out of its shell.

the shell

[–]Jump792   [S] 90 points91 points  (88 children)

Well at least they go out a not so fucked way.

[–]dinosaurus552344   167 points168 points  (53 children)

Best way is basically using a knife, stab into the back of the head and quickly bring it down, cutting the head in half, should take like 2 seconds and is probably more humane than what most cows, pigs, chickens get. There's also a lot of false info in these comments. They do feel pain, bashing their head in is a bad idea as their head is well armoured so there's a good chance of fucking it up, putting the lobster in more pain and making a gross mess, cold water technique only really works if its freezing which isn't much better than boiling

[–]kjk603   48 points49 points  (16 children)

Can’t speak for cows or pigs but I’ve seen chickens slaughtered en masse and let me say it’s fast. The 3 poultry processing plants I’ve been in the chickens are essentially hung by their feet upside down on a conveyor and a spinning blade cuts their throat/head off.

Side note folks would likely hate a crawfish boil lol. But the crawfish turn out great if cooked correctly!

Edited to put en masse per orders from the great grammar warrior u/chungusxl94   . May we all bow down to your grammatical superiority. Lol also I was an idiot typing on my phone late at night.

[–]NinjaRocksBreakGlass   20 points21 points  (7 children)

sometimes the chickens duck and they get boiled alive

[–]Tylendal   10 points11 points  (5 children)

sometimes the chickens duck

Well someone at the sorting station clearly isn't doing their job.

[–]matt2316   5 points6 points  (4 children)

Definitely. I work Quality Control in a plant. First off, the birds are run through a stunner first (electrified water bath, basically) that knocks them senseless... it's not that they duck, it's just that the machine doesn't always hit every single one.... but there's an employee stationed whose entire job is to make sure that none are missed. No birds go into the scalder still alive.

[–]pulsarsolar   4 points5 points  (2 children)

I like meat, and I know it’s unfair to equate humans with animals, but damn does mass slaughter give me an uncomfortable feeling

[–]PusherLoveGirl   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Side note folks would likely hate a crawfish boil lol.

Yeah I'm sitting here wondering how I'm going to humanely kill hundreds of crawfish while keeping them from spoiling before they go in the pot.

[–]DrHerbs   54 points55 points  (19 children)

Be cool if they made tiny cattle guns for humanely killing lobsters

[–]NicolasName   3 points4 points  (0 children)

You know cows aren’t “humanely” killed right?

There death isn’t painless, for one. And two, you can’t consider killing a healthy animal that’s lived less than 10% of their natural lifespan for an exploitative end to be “humane”.

It’s a bastardization of the word.

[–]Lanxy   3 points4 points  (0 children)

imagine if we‘d kill cows the same way. The outrage!

[–]ThousandWinds   137 points138 points  (33 children)

Getting your brainstem split in half is probably one of the most mercifully quick ways to go out that I can think of.

You’d probably lose consciousness before you could even comprehend the pain.

[–]thetandyman44   36 points37 points  (31 children)

Crustaceans don't have brainstems as they don't technically have a computing brain like us or other animals. They're just giant bugs and lack the needed organs to feel what we consider sensation. Extremely efficient creatures, but very primordial.

[–]shit_poster9000   11 points12 points  (5 children)

Their central nervous system terminates in a ring of nerves, there is no brain tissue at all.

[–]Spndash64   28 points29 points  (2 children)

This isn’t entirely correct. Arthropods aren’t exactly smart, but they are definitely aware of their surroundings. The structure is different, but the function is similar

[–]DONTLOOKITMEIMNAKED   21 points22 points  (5 children)

You can knock them unconscious by soaking in seltzer water.

[–]ExtraContribution1   4 points5 points  (0 children)

I learned all I need to know from Bryan Callen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwhpk5KQKO0

[–]shyasaturtle   Likes boiled beef 2 points3 points  (0 children)

bwoah Gordon Ramsay did a demonstration

on lobster and even that tells how easy it is.

[–]coolhandk   7890 points7891 points  (400 children)

Switzerland has made it illegal to boil lobster alive, a simple knife slit down the back of its spine is a quick kill and has no effect of the outcome of taste.

Edit: yes lobsters don’t have spines but it helps people quickly identify what location. The area would be just behind the eyes in the carapace.

[–]mydogwillbeinmyheart   2601 points2602 points  (235 children)

How do they make sure people/ restaurants follow the law though? It's not something you can actually check.

[–]ReturnOfNox   7022 points7023 points  (139 children)

The police chief was sitting at his favorite seafood restaurant, eagerly awaiting a well deserved meal with his family after a hard day's work. The waiter brings in his usual order - a whole steamed lobster with asparagus and butter sauce on the side. Before he can tuck in he is struck with a terrible realization. This lobster's head is totally intact. This wasn't a restaurant, this was the scene of a murder. Shut it down. Bellowed the chief. Shut it all down

[–]THEBLUEFLAME3D   1262 points1263 points  (79 children)

Lol that was funny, but I’d actually still like to know how they’d, in any way, enforce this law.

[–]insane_contin   1277 points1278 points  (31 children)

Probably the same way the health inspector finds out if local health laws are being broken or not. Complaints and random inspections.

[–]THEBLUEFLAME3D   248 points249 points  (0 children)

Makes sense.

[–]Kaiel1412   173 points174 points  (21 children)

yeah, if your lobster starts moving while you eat it, then there's a huge problem with the restaurant

[–]box-cox   135 points136 points  (4 children)

Not cool, Japan. Not cool.

[–]Aimer_NZ   Not all opinions are equal 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Daijobu

[–]theREALhun   52 points53 points  (15 children)

I actually ate lobster sashimi in Amsterdam. The lobster was killed with a knife, uncooked, the tail taken out of the shell, cut, put back in the shell and served on ice with the head. The taste was incredible. But the lobster head was still moving. As if it wanted to share the meal... I have to admit: that was a bit weird. And it got me some nasty looks from other restaurees.

[–]Trappist1   27 points28 points  (1 child)

This doesn't seem worse to me than other methods as long as the lobster was actually killed first. You're probably just seeing sodium or potassium triggering nerve endings before they decay too much to be able to anymore. It's "unnerving" to look at, but doesn't mean the lobster is feeling pain.

[–]Peace-wise   7 points8 points  (0 children)

You really had the nerve to say that

[–]oracleofnonsense   7 points8 points  (9 children)

Live sushi is a thing in Japan.

Video

[–]thesixthamethyst   7 points8 points  (4 children)

That is quite unsettling :/

[–]BlueCommieSpehsFish   11 points12 points  (3 children)

Don’t worry, they’re not actually alive. The soy sauce is salty and triggers synapses in the meat, causing it to move. Our nerves have chemical bridges called synapses that rely on salts to relay signals.

[–]siri314   2 points3 points  (1 child)

A similar thing happens when you filet a fresh fish. They just kind of flop around. The first time I saw my dad do this after we had been fishing, I nearly puked.

[–]dreadprtroberts   40 points41 points  (0 children)

So...bribery?

[–]sillypicture   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Lobster families sue.

[–]deepfeels96   32 points33 points  (1 child)

Most restaurants are pretty ethical in my experience and I’ve worked at many, each with different types of people. People just usually respect the rules.

[–]janearcade   101 points102 points  (18 children)

I'm not in Switzerland, but my mom was (retired) a Chef for 20+ years. To me, this is unenforceble at a mirco level.

[–]Liam_Neesons_Oscar   116 points117 points  (5 children)

Well if the penalty is stiff enough, shit rolls downhill. Hit the owner with a hefty fine, he'll yell at his managers, the managers will threaten to fire the line cooks, the line cooks will stop doing it.

[–]SerpentineLogic   9 points10 points  (3 children)

Same with serving alcohol to minors. In my state, fines are up to $10k for the server and up to $30k for the licensee.

[–]W1D0WM4K3R   2 points3 points  (0 children)

It happens, but it won't be the same place twice.

[–]VioletRing77   34 points35 points  (0 children)

Sure, but it's still part of the larger cultural shift. You won't change people's long standing practices overnight; Making a rule for restaurants will have mixed results for a long time, but eventually it'll be seen as normal.

[–]Spacedoc9   5 points6 points  (0 children)

Honestly a lot of people just don't want to be cruel to animals. For the most part people will do the right thing. There's always a few assholes that will ruin it for everyone but if you get a whole lobster you can tell if it was killed before it was cooked

[–]its-only-human   2 points3 points  (0 children)

You mean: “He enforced the claw?” (I am the claw!).

[–]mydogwillbeinmyheart   70 points71 points  (29 children)

I see. I surely hope customers who receive a lobster with an intact head actualy complain about it and that people at home kill them before boiling them.

[–]greendood333   seven 15 points16 points  (1 child)

i don’t have anything to give you, but just know i love you and you have a future in this comment my guy this is the shit...

[–]Stewapalooza   2 points3 points  (0 children)

In the criminal justice system, culinary based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Crustacean Victims Unit. These are their stories.

[–]emilyvk   82 points83 points  (2 children)

How do we know restaurants do anything they are supposed to do? Works on a trust system and reputation I guess. Backed up with inspections and such

[–]mrbill1234   136 points137 points  (12 children)

Hard to believe, but most people follow the law without being watched over.

[–]MrOaiki   7 points8 points  (2 children)

Good point. Sometimes I wonder how some countries even exist, when a law is only followed if a massive police force makes sure it’s followed.

[–]mrbill1234   15 points16 points  (1 child)

In some cultures, if you leave something valuable unattended, it will disappear within minutes. Others, it will stay there until you come to reclaim it.

[–]SometimesUsesReddit   85 points86 points  (37 children)

We aren't even sure that makes death quick and painless. Lobsters have a different nervous system thus reacting to pain and death in a different way than we do.

[–]loulan   164 points165 points  (28 children)

I mean, if you think the meat you eat only comes from animals who had a quick and painless death, I have bad news for you.

But at least they weren't boiled alive.

[–]wwamd   35 points36 points  (2 children)

In fact boiling feels good to lobsters which is why we bless them with this last treat before their final moment. Wouldn’t that be an ironic twist? Haha

[–]jikkler   10 points11 points  (0 children)

I would imagine they check by looking at the knife slice down the lobster's back.

[–]downstroy_drummer   37 points38 points  (7 children)

It's Switzerland.. People obey laws, because it's normal thing to do.

[–]LewsTherinTelamon   16 points17 points  (0 children)

They don’t, it’s the honor system. Like many laws.

[–]Sinderi   3 points4 points  (1 child)

Probably the same way how even on the most remote trails you won't find any dog leavings(cause that's banned too with a huge fine). From my experience the swiss are pretty diligent when it comes to the law.

[–]gokstudio   6 points7 points  (6 children)

While true, Switzerland is a high trust society with a large proportion of the population law biding often to neurotic levels.

Most restaurants and chefs wouldn't want to deal with the legal fallout of violating the law so that's enough incentive to stick to it.

[–]Skiinz19   2 points3 points  (0 children)

It takes one second to kill the lobster. If someone doesnt want to do it then they have problems.

[–]redditcantunreddit   2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m not a Swiss national but have lived in Switzerland for 6+ years. The really bizarre/great thing about Switzerland is that rules don’t need to be enforced to be followed. If it’s illegal, people don’t do it.

There is also a “dénonciation” system where citizens noticing illegal behaviour (the boiling of a live crustacean) can report this to the police and, seemingly without much follow up, the police assume the denouncement as gospel and fine the perpetrator(s). Again, this system isn’t abused because... Switzerland

[–]realCmdData   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Its Switzerland. Its against the law to slam your door shut after 10pm. People will follow it.

[–]Atomic_Noodles   51 points52 points  (2 children)

So Lobsters cooked in Switzerland are dispatched Mortal Kombat Style?

[–]SMA2343   93 points94 points  (2 children)

That’s how I learned. Gordon Ramsey, knife down, then to the board.

[–]Termiiii   3 points4 points  (0 children)

"Let the knife do the work"

[–]CountFuckula_   180 points181 points  (65 children)

This makes sense.

Few years ago one of my coworkers (her and her husband were very close friends of mine) came to me very excited saying how her and her husband's anniversary was that day, and he was going to cook her a lobster dinner.

She had never seen lobsters being cooked before.

She called me crying, describing how they seemed to scream when tossed into the water, and that she can't eat them now and the night is ruined.

I ended up having to talk to her husband and assure him that it wasn't his fault, and that he should probably just go get her favourite takeaway as dinner that night. He did and the night was saved but I don't think she will ever eat lobster again.

I would have told her not to be around when he starts the cooking if I had known she didn't know what happens..oops..

[–]jswet   208 points209 points  (51 children)

They aren't actually screaming, it has to do with steam leaving the hard shell. They don't have vocal cords.

[–]Catman419   90 points91 points  (5 children)

They don’t even have lungs.

[–]Annieone23   42 points43 points  (3 children)

On some level I definitely knew this but seeing it written out so plainly is kinda mindblowing.

I just did some light research and learned that smaller crustaceans dont even have gills, the blood in them is just close enough to the skin that it can just absorb oxygen and release waste gases without them. So alien seeming!

[–]DrGoat666   51 points52 points  (0 children)

Anymore

[–]whatcoolcool   182 points183 points  (14 children)

that’s what the aliens say about us too. they aren’t screaming it’s just air leaving

[–]ImEvenBetter   35 points36 points  (11 children)

Can confirm. It's taught in their cookbook "How To Cook Humans".

[–]BauranGaruda   25 points26 points  (1 child)

Ha, "To Serve Man"

"It's a cookbook! A cooooookboooock"

[–]CrunchitizeMeCaptn   5 points6 points  (0 children)

Honestly one of the best episodes

[–]JerseyMike3   20 points21 points  (5 children)

That's actually "How to cook for humans"

[–]Dagonium   24 points25 points  (4 children)

No wait, it's "How to cook forty humans"!

[–]Snottygobble   14 points15 points  (1 child)

You're wrong. It's "How to cook for forty humans"

[–]zross51234   7 points8 points  (1 child)

"Theres still some more space dust on here!"

How to Cook for Forty Humans

[–]CrunchitizeMeCaptn   2 points3 points  (0 children)

How to serve humans*

[–]Medium_Rare_Jerk   5 points6 points  (0 children)

“Wooooo!” That was just air trapped in the fat rolls

[–]Osbios   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Why would humans scream anyway? They don't feel pain!

[–]Harvestman-man   55 points56 points  (21 children)

Although there is some evidence that Decapods feel pain.

[–]nocimus   95 points96 points  (16 children)

I think at this point it's fairly safe to assume most multicellular animals feel pain - not having sensory feedback to being damaged is a good way to end up dead when it would otherwise be avoidable.

[–]sentinel_ween   27 points28 points  (2 children)

I agree. It makes sense that they'd have to feel something that qualifies as pain.

[–]Marvolin   16 points17 points  (1 child)

Pain feely go in everything

[–]Herpkina   9 points10 points  (0 children)

An apt analysis robert

[–]SkinSuitUnSub   4 points5 points  (2 children)

Lobsters (like many animals) live in an extremely harsh environment . They do not feel pain like you and I. They lose claws constantly and are often caught with many injuries to their shells . You don't see these lobsters because they are less appealing to the consumer and end up being processed before the consumer purchases them

They are caught many times with fresh injury bleeding their bluish tinted blood. most often from infighting with each other . You can leave these in the traps they are caught in and they heal amazing within a couple of days .

The most sensitive part of a lobster is the soft part under the tail . It makes sense because it is the area to be protected for egg bearing (female tails are wider where males are narrower )

Being cold blooded they can survive without eating for (yes) months . Oddly they can also shut down by temperature fluctuations of either range toward the cold or the warm which is why I question how much pain they feel being boiled . It is a fact in the industry ( I catch them to be clear) catches decline if water temperature takes a swing upward or downward over a quick period . We have that information on our sounders .

It is also interesting that I don't kill spiders so I understand why people pick and choose the things they champion .

[–]DuskyDay   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sensory feedback to avoid being damaged doesn't require feeling pain (e.g. reflex arc).

[–]churm94   2 points3 points  (1 child)

not having sensory feedback to being damaged is a good way to end up dead when it would otherwise be avoidable.

I mean, you're still thinking in the Complex Lifeform form of view. This doesn't really apply to simple organisms that have evolved to just shit out a ton of offspring so that avoiding pain isn't really that high up on the list. Jellyfish/seasponges etc come to mind.

[–]bglargl   20 points21 points  (2 children)

I mean, wouldn't it be super weird if such a complex animal couldn't feel pain...

[–]Silkroad202   5 points6 points  (1 child)

Wouldn't that depend on the environment? What if pain was never necessary? If limb amputation etc was just a normal part of existing. If the main way you died was via insta-kill, what purpose would pain serve?

The fight or flight response could arguably suffice surely? As long as a threat can be detected and avoidance measures occur. Pain could be more of a survival hindrance than help if you never get the chance to recover. May as well just carry on trying to find more food than be in debilitating pain.

Edit: I'm definitely not denying the intelligence of anything here. Just saying intelligence and pain can potentially be mutually exclusive.

[–]bglargl   5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah well but some nociceptors to guide you along this general idea of not wanting to see the insides of your own shell might have a certain advantage for survival

[–]Quitschicobhc   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Does that make it any better though?

[–]TealSwinglineStapler   6 points7 points  (1 child)

A couple of my friends worked salvage on a pretty infamous plane crash off the coast. On day one the sea and rocky bottom were crystal clear making recovery of bodies and plane parts very easy. On day two the bottom was just a teeming writhing mass of lobsters eating the bodies. I don't eat lobster anymore.

[–]chill1217   2 points3 points  (0 children)

even with very close friends, it is bizarre that she would call you in the middle of that

[–]spacemartiann   2 points3 points  (0 children)

same in new zealand

[–]newaccount1210   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Little known fact, it's also illegal in Swaziland.

[–]SendPixOfBobs   2 points3 points  (0 children)

They are being raped and bombed by inbred migrants and they focus on sea bug’s rights lmao

[–]TeddyGotT   2149 points2150 points  (72 children)

It's becoming increasingly more common for the lobster to be killed before being boiled

[–]Jump792   [S] 549 points550 points  (59 children)

Ah, I see.

[–]TeddyGotT   354 points355 points  (55 children)

It still happens though

[–]Jump792   [S] 301 points302 points  (53 children)

This is still unfortunate.

[–]Theelitemaster   93 points94 points  (47 children)

Lol I have not ate any lobsters or crabs etc and I asked my mother why at like 16- she said cause you have to boil them alive and since then still haven’t eaten a crustacean. I might one day out of curiosity

[–]MistNFog   61 points62 points  (1 child)

"I don't eat lobster cuz it's alive when you kill it." -Snookie

[–]ItsGettinBreesy   4 points5 points  (0 children)

Spoken like a true cultural icon

[–]GG_wlY5FZFzKDlqBHu8P   86 points87 points  (40 children)

Unpopular opinion: Crab and lobster are severely overrated, and more work to eat than they're worth.

I also grew up not eating lobster and crab. When I did finally try it in my 20s, I couldn't understand what all the hype was. I try it again every so often, and I'm into my late 30s. I still don't understand the hype. It's largely bland, with very little flavor of its own. Lobster is mostly a vehicle for butter.

On the other hand, a good clam chowder or a good cioppino are wonderful things.

[–]nightcallfoxtrot   27 points28 points  (10 children)

She crab soup man, it's so good, none of the work

[–]GG_wlY5FZFzKDlqBHu8P   31 points32 points  (4 children)

She crab soup man

Come again?

[–]Bluemyselph   23 points24 points  (0 children)

That's what she crab said

[–]nightcallfoxtrot   4 points5 points  (1 child)

She-crab soup is a sort of delicacy in the southern us. It's a kind of creamy bisque with crab meat, a little crab roe, and sherry if you'd like.

[–]rathat   2 points3 points  (1 child)

Let me tell you something. You have not had a king crab leg before.

It doesn't seem like you dislike the flavor as much you have not had very flavorful ones.

Just buy one nice fresh king crab leg. They are expensive. $30-$40 maybe. Possibly split the price with someone who likes crabs. It's really worth a try, nothing comes close.

[–]gmoses0307   8 points9 points  (0 children)

Lobster and crab with melted butter is so fucking good.

[–]lucidxm   437 points438 points  (41 children)

These days people tend to kill them with a knife to the head. Instant. Then cook

[–]username93-   112 points113 points  (36 children)

Lobsters maybe but no ones going through a bunch of shrimp or crawfish and killing each one individually before boiling them

[–]uQinisela   115 points116 points  (33 children)

Who buys live shrimp?

[–]username93-   62 points63 points  (23 children)

Everyone buys live crawfish, the dead are thrown out before cooking the live ones. Some people do boil live shrimp.

Personally my family boils shrimp dead (because we we catch them not buy and it’s too much to spend all day in the boat then boil them the same day. In any case I’ve never heard of anyone going through a batch of shrimp (I’m referring to caught themselves, not bought) and killing each individually. I don’t know anyone who’s bought their shrimp so I can’t speak for those people.

[–]FoldedDice   14 points15 points  (21 children)

This was my first thought. At crawfish boils in Louisiana (and elsewhere in the south, I’m sure) they usually boil at least 20-30 pounds of them all at once in the same pot. Killing that many first in some way that doesn’t involve poisoning them (which is just as bad, surely, in addition to most likely tainting the meat) or smashing the shells isn’t in any way possible, so about the only options are to either accept that or refrain from eating them.

[–]glntns   8 points9 points  (17 children)

You put them in an ice bath. The shock of the cold water makes them go dormant. Then you put them in the freezer for about 30 mins to kill them. Do this for crab, shrimp, and crawfish. This isn’t just humane. You will get better quality cooked meat since they won’t fall apart in the boiling water.

[–]FoldedDice   7 points8 points  (9 children)

That seems viable. I’m not a Louisiana native, so I was only ever a participant in those events as a guest. I’m not well versed in specific cooking methods aside from what I saw while I was living there.

[–]username93-   4 points5 points  (2 children)

I’m a Louisiana native. They’re just rinsed in (hose pipe) water then put in an ice chest with ice until we’re ready to boil them.

[–]glntns   2 points3 points  (1 child)

That’s essentially an ice bath.

[–]harrisoncock   1312 points1313 points  (98 children)

Basically if you stick a poker through their brain they die instantly. I have a metal one from a broken thermometer that one-shots almost every lobster.

you can also just put them in the freezer, they fall asleep quickly and eventually die

[–]concentratedpine   502 points503 points  (8 children)

I also one shot lobsters

[–]hattroubles   45 points46 points  (3 children)

<0>...<0>...<1>...<3>...<0>...<1>...<0>...<0>...<3>

+32 attack xp

[–]AloeSnazzy   2 points3 points  (0 children)

bro he’s one tap he’s one tap

[–]iSkoro   637 points638 points  (9 children)

one-shots almost every lobster

Lmaoooo

[–]BeanSizedKids   77 points78 points  (2 children)

Dude talking like the lobsters someone in mw

[–]skrtskrtbrev   6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is what happens when the first gen modern warfare kids grow up.

"Why is bill from accounting so angry? You'd think I'd slept with his mom or something LOL OWNED"

[–]Nevesnotrab   160 points161 points  (6 children)

I'm gonna do what's called a pro gamer move.

[–]HeyKid_HelpComputer   81 points82 points  (3 children)

420 no scoped that lobster. One shot kill.

[–]BunzLee   2 points3 points  (1 child)

Just make sure they're really dead before you proceed to teabag them.

[–]RelativelyDank   3 points4 points  (0 children)

don't forget to message the lobster saying you fucked his mother too

[–]Noreaga   66 points67 points  (1 child)

that one-shots almost every lobster.

bruh

[–]CosmikCoyote   27 points28 points  (1 child)

I prefer to rock lobsters

[–]TheMa_son   22 points23 points  (2 children)

Just dome the bitch straight in the head

[–]Lance-Boi   9 points10 points  (1 child)

this reads like Frank Reynolds

[–]kicked_trashcan   9 points10 points  (0 children)

So anyways I start blasting

[–]passed_turing_test   12 points13 points  (2 children)

Didn't I see you in "No Country for Old Men"?

[–]MiddleFroggy   33 points34 points  (3 children)

It’s better to cut their heads in half - see YouTube for tutorials.

They don’t have a centralized brain like mammals, it’s more of a connection of ganglia which operate from multiple locations, so you can’t really “one-shot” them. Cutting the front part in half severs more of those connections so they’re less likely to feel pain.

[–]thelonelycerebellum   45 points46 points  (14 children)

The freezer method doesn’t sound much better than the boiling method...

[–]okmiked   28 points29 points  (2 children)

As a human deciding, I'd rather freeze than burn I think.

[–]Harvestman-man   56 points57 points  (9 children)

Freezing an ectothermic animal gradually decreases the brain activity until they become torpid before it actually kills them. They probably hardly feel anything.

[–]TheeBillOreilly   4 points5 points  (3 children)

This is the same justification for fishermen throwing a catch on ice and not killing it right when you reel it in. One can only hope they peacefully doze off to fish heaven..

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (2 children)

killing the fish leads to blood ... u can't wash the blood off the deck without attractive unwanted visitors ... so people would rather put them on ice

[–]liberateus   35 points36 points  (0 children)

Lobsters don't respond to the cold, just a gradual decrease in brain activity as they go perma sleep. They probably feel less pain than getting knifed or boiled since they do in fact have a bunch of nerves, though without a brain it's debatable if they can actually feel pain. Anyway, freeze for the win

[–]GG_wlY5FZFzKDlqBHu8P   10 points11 points  (1 child)

I don't think they just go nighty-night, they likely slow down significant because they're too cold, and probably oxygen deprived.

[–]Novexus   3 points4 points  (0 children)

the RSPCA claims (based on available scientific evidence) that chilling crustaceans before killing them is one of the most humane ways to do it as it lowers their sensitivity to pain

source: https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-is-the-most-humane-way-to-kill-crustaceans-for-human-consumption/

[–]20-4   4 points5 points  (0 children)

Almost... are the others botched executions?

[–]ominous-owl   284 points285 points  (138 children)

man, i really like seafood, especially crab. but i thought it was the only one who felt bad about it. i prefer to kill them just before cooking them, because i can't imagine dying as painfully as being boiled alive. i'd feel mean.

[–]IzzyfromScotia   132 points133 points  (95 children)

Day old male chicks are grinded alive because they won't produce eggs.

Pigs are getting suffocated in what are essentially gas chambers because meat packers closed from coronavirus and the farmers don't want to care for the animals anymore or even look for a sanctuary for them. So they gas them in a giant room as they scream until they die.

You should feel bad about most of the food industry involving animals because it's real bad

Edit: gas chamber footage I am referring to below for those curious

https://youtu.be/UhavFP9f6b4

[–]killingthemkitty   7 points8 points  (0 children)

Not even gas (as in one designed for killing), they use steam.

[–]vedram-s   25 points26 points  (12 children)

i guess octopuses are boiled alive too

[–]Bmhim666   60 points61 points  (4 children)

I'm a chef and I can assure you that pretty much all octopus used in the culinary industry is already dead when cooked and not boiled alive. I know of some countries where they do eat it or cook it alive and I personally find it revolting, since not only do they feel pain but they are extremely intelligent creatures. However, that sort of practice is not commonplace at all, at least in the western hemisphere.

[–]festivalhippy   2 points3 points  (3 children)

Don't they have to turn the octopus inside out to kill it or is that a myth I've heard and never forgotten?

[–]Bmhim666   8 points9 points  (1 child)

Nope, not at all. When you get a whole octopus you do have to turn the head inside out to clean it properly, but you do that once it is already dead.

[–][deleted] 52 points53 points  (6 children)

I travelled to Korea last year, was horrified to see they boiled other things alive, like octopus, which turned my stomach.

Not to detract from the suffering of the crustaceans, but the octopus has far more nerve endings and greater intelligence.

I had to leave the restaurant immediately.

[–]evasive1   21 points22 points  (1 child)

No shit, still haunts me. Writhing around probably in excruciating pain, only reason we didn't know it is because of a lack of vocal cords.

I did still end up eating it because I'll be damned if that thing just died in vain. But fuck everything about that.

[–]BrownsPirate   5 points6 points  (0 children)

Octopus is my favorite marine animal. That sounds horrible. They are extremely smart.

[–]jared1981   2 points3 points  (0 children)

It’s also popular to eat them raw and still wriggling. People have choked because the tentacles are grabbing onto anything they can on their way down.

[–]benbo82   533 points534 points  (202 children)

And oyster are opened and consumed still alive too, you’re not supposed to just swallow them either, you’re supposed to chew them alive

[–]classic_elle   693 points694 points  (127 children)

Oysters don’t have a central nervous system. A lot of researcher believe they are unable to feel pain.

[–]benbo82   366 points367 points  (91 children)

Yeah I know, but it’s still weird to think that you are chewing on a live creature

[–]bishizzzop   550 points551 points  (68 children)

It's more like eating a plant

[–]dirtycapnuck   214 points215 points  (62 children)

These are the cries of the carrots, the cries of the carrots!
You see, Reverend Maynard
Tomorrow is harvest day and to them it is the holocaust

[–]confusedtalker   97 points98 points  (44 children)

Plants do emit sounds under stress/when cut but the cries of the carrots fall on deaf ears.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/507590v4

[–]pjb1999   36 points37 points  (29 children)

Great, so now I can feel bad about eating plants too.

[–]mrmastermimi   9 points10 points  (6 children)

Think of it this way. It's what the plant wants to happen. Plants have evolved over millions of years so that they look and taste good so that they get eaten. Then, their seeds get dispersed where they can grow new life.

[–]stationhollow   3 points4 points  (0 children)

Haha jokes on them. I remove the seeds and wrap them in bags of plastic!

[–]mariah1311   2 points3 points  (2 children)

Have you read The Sound Machine by Ronald Dahl?

[–]Frankoburger091   13 points14 points  (1 child)

This comment came out of left field and I’m so glad I found it. Spiral out my guy

[–]deanreevesii   3 points4 points  (0 children)

Keep... going...

[–]adriananmily   9 points10 points  (2 children)

this... is.... necessary....

[–]HAL-Over-9001   3 points4 points  (1 child)

Life, feeds on life, feeds on life, feeds on life

[–]luckychance5480   2 points3 points  (1 child)

Damn you! Let the rabbits wear glasses!

[–]deanreevesii   4 points5 points  (0 children)

CAN I GET AN AMEN????

CAN I GET A HALLELUJAH???

[–]atacms   2 points3 points  (0 children)

The actual carrot is just energy storage to produce reproductive organs later. We actually interrupt a carrot plants life cycle at its midpoint to harvest carrots.

[–]F6FHellcat1   11 points12 points  (1 child)

Aren't oysters considered to be even less self aware than plants? As in plants can actually react to external stimuli, but oysters just sit there.

[–]York_Phoenix   28 points29 points  (0 children)

Ya like yogurt?

[–]russiabot1776   71 points72 points  (8 children)

Have you never had a salad or eaten fruit?

[–]aShittybakedPotato   [🍰] 38 points39 points  (7 children)

I'm just gonna filter feed through the air....

-_-

[–]russiabot1776   30 points31 points  (6 children)

You’d be eating live aeroplankton

[–]ThisBirdBangsHorses   6 points7 points  (2 children)

Great, so every breath is a genocide

[–]_ravenclaw   4 points5 points  (2 children)

I’m just gonna starve

[–]SmokyJosh   4 points5 points  (0 children)

think of all the cells dying from malnutrition in your body

[–]Hawaiian_Shirts_Rule   milk meister 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Probably close to eating a still alive carrot fresh out of the ground.

[–]Hugsy13   5 points6 points  (1 child)

There’s millions of living creatures in our mouths at all times.

[–]JoikBear   28 points29 points  (1 child)

Same with most arthropods actually.

[–]planxtie   4 points5 points  (0 children)

But we don’t know that for sure.

[–]imnotagingerbreadman   17 points18 points  (1 child)

Both lobsters and oysters "feeling pain" is debated.

Both show signs of FoF when you do stuff (check out how an oyster squirms when you put lemon on it!), but proper "pain" equivalent to humans is not really possible afaik.

Many people argue for lobsters to be killed before being boiled, yet they'll eat multiple oysters without even considering that their last few moments are met with the acidic doom of our stomach. (this includes me, and I'd be interested to know why!)

[–]cheesyblasta   6 points7 points  (0 children)

Oysters don't have a face, so it's easier to just chomp em down

[–]Warriv9   6 points7 points  (7 children)

Lobsters don't either right?

[–]Phain0n   8 points9 points  (6 children)

correct. OP seems to be concernced over something he isn't well informed about.

[–]Warriv9   5 points6 points  (4 children)

Ya I thought I remembered that from high school biology. Only vertebrates have nervous systems right? So basically anything without a backbone doesn't feel pain.

[–]Useless_Fox   3 points4 points  (0 children)

I don't think that's something you can so easily confirm because there is no true scientific consensus yet. We don't fully understand how consciousness works yet. We don't know for a fact that having a brain is a requirement for being conscious. And pain is not something you can definitively measure. It's just how a conscious being perceives data from nerves.

Of course we still fiercely debate lobster suffering while ignoring the suffering of livestock who definitely feel pain. But it is what it is.

[–]LewsTherinTelamon   2 points3 points  (8 children)

Why is feeling pain the distinction? I think it’s more about capacity to suffer. Plants can react to stimulus in ways that are functionally analogous to “feeling pain”.

[–]CarbonReflections   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oysters respond to stimuli, that in itself indicates some type of rudimentary nervous system that would allow them to feel pain. Also don’t eat raw bivalves unless you want to get sick. They are filter feeders, their lifelong purpose is literally to eat shit and piss. They are the number one cause of food poisoning due to this reason.

[–]lol_idek_lmao   53 points54 points  (2 children)

honestly i think swallowing them is way worse than chewing them, imagine it still being alive in ur stomach, whether it’s just an oyster or not that thought freaks me out

[–]buttjudge69   40 points41 points  (0 children)

They won’t last long submerged in 100° F hydrochloric acid.

[–]Svalr   2 points3 points  (0 children)

When you consider what would happen to them should they be found by an otter or marine birb it's really not as bad as it could be.

[–]DrHerbs   61 points62 points  (27 children)

Wait I’ve eaten a live oyster and I didn’t even know it?

[–]not_memewotic   51 points52 points  (26 children)

All oysters are alive. if it's dead then you'll get food poisoning Edit: To stop the spread of misinformation, just wanted to clear up you CAN eat dead oysters, for example fried oysters. You could also keep the plain dead oysters fresh and eat them, but would just recommend sticking to eating quality oyster that's alive to make sure you wont be shitting your pants for the next week. My bad boys.

[–]Scoobyisdoobie   70 points71 points  (9 children)

Im guessing you havent had fried oysters then.

[–]ReturnOfNox   41 points42 points  (5 children)

I was just gonna say. Go to any good Cajun place and order the fried oyster po boy, you'll never want anything else

[–]Scoobyisdoobie   19 points20 points  (4 children)

I cam understand why people dont like fresh oysters. But fried oysters is another matter entirely. Crunchy, chewy, savory. God bless.

[–]ImSoPrancy   7 points8 points  (1 child)

until you see the inside of the oyster, all green and weird looking.

[–]Scoobyisdoobie   4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yah, that is something i dont suggest doing.

[–]vipros42   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fried oysters are the fucking bomb. Whereas raw ones gave me norovirus.

[–]alelp   31 points32 points  (0 children)

I'm pretty sure from the amount of salt that I put on it that it dies from dehydration en route.

[–]steepleman   6 points7 points  (0 children)

Pretty sure cooked oysters aren't alive.

[–]backtodafuturee   Its not gay if it’s on the moon 4 points5 points  (6 children)

You said that with so much confidence i almost believed you. Then i remembered i lived on planet Earth where this isnt true at all

[–]duksinarw   2 points3 points  (2 children)

Well now I don't know who to believe, unless you're specifically referring to fried oysters

[–]Joey__Cooks   3 points4 points  (1 child)

You won't get sick eating a dead oyster it just needs to be fresh like literally any other seafood.

[–]duksinarw   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I'm ignorant, I don't even know if you're right but I'll take it at face value and quote it as fact

[–]generic_commenter99   2 points3 points  (0 children)

This isn’t true. Well it’s just repeating half-facts. If you go to a restaurant and get oysters on a bed of ice, they’re most likely dead once they reach your table. Once you shuck them, that starts the dying process.

[–]ruizk_311   13 points14 points  (3 children)

Does no one remember the scene where Mr Bean eats a shit ton of oysters

, gets really sick and then has a nightmare ab it. Yeah never had oysters since.

They did a oyster scene

in the movie too.

Here’s Rowan Atkinson talking about it

.

[–]flacopaco1   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Jesus christ TIL

[–]bluest_oxygen   173 points174 points  (31 children)

When I was younger I asked someone (don't remember who) if the lobsters feel pain when they get cooked like that, I was told that the lobsters like it. Who says that lobsters like being boiled alive...

[–]One-Two-Woop-Woop   143 points144 points  (2 children)

Lobsters be like "ohh yeah boil me daddy"

[–]JTDrift   107 points108 points  (17 children)

Someone who didn't know what to tell a child so they lie to placate the child and themselves.

[–]Forest_Staircase   3 points4 points  (1 child)

It's like a really dank hot tub for a second... Then you die! Quite pleasurable really

[–]getyourownpillow   802 points803 points  (89 children)

Reminds me of that episode on masterchef where the vegan didnt know how to cook lobster so she just tore it limb from limb and chef Ramsay told her that she was torturing it and she looked sickened

[–]Smiadpades   330 points331 points  (18 children)

The vegan didn’t do that. The vegan finally put the crab in the boiling water.

Another lady tortured the crab! And to make it worse, she started to pry open the shell first before Ramsey told her to stop. Then after that, she ripped the legs off and put them in the boiling water. Wow...

Edit - spelling

[–]Just_OneReason   28 points29 points  (12 children)

I mean, you shouldn’t tear legs off a live crab, but crab do it to each other all the time. They grow back, obvs not if you’re going to eat it, but it’s a little different than tearing the arm off a person.

[–]tredontho   47 points48 points  (6 children)

Never ending supply of crab legs? Hmm...

[–]duksinarw   9 points10 points  (0 children)

This is Big Crab Leg, stay where you are

[–]SuperSaucyWaffles   3 points4 points  (1 child)

I wonder what would grow first, the regrowing of a limb, or for that adult crab to have a baby and that baby grow up...

[–]Genshi731   4 points5 points  (2 children)

This is what they do for stone crab claws. They take one of the claws off then toss the crab back in the water and it regrows the claw.

[–]Chapl3   5 points6 points  (3 children)

A lot of people tear the claw of the rock claw crabs and throw them back. It is delicious and the crab will actually grow it back.

[–]Liddlebitchboy   3 points4 points  (4 children)

I don't feel like any actual vegan would join a show like that, because you know exactly what will happen.. Also, I've only ever seen them on Masterchef US, none of the other ones (the occasional vegetarian maybe), and given that Masterchef US - as far as I've been informed - features actors mixed in with actual competitors, I wouldn't be surprised if it's just sensationalist tv. Also explains why it's the only one where the competitors stir up drama and get into fights whereas in others (Australia under Matt, George, and Gary will always be number 1) they're usually very friendly and helpful to each other.

[–]mydogwillbeinmyheart   194 points195 points  (16 children)

That's fucked up.

[–]lashapel   75 points76 points  (7 children)

Bruh she just ripped it apart like nothin

[–]MoreCholoThanMan   32 points33 points  (5 children)

Reminder that the average human could rip apart a live animal if required. Thought that was just a crab, still weird to think about.

[–]nocimus   24 points25 points  (4 children)

People act like we're only at the top of the foodchain because of our brains - this really isn't true.

[–]-Tasogare-   3 points4 points  (2 children)

We're much bigger than most animals if you think about it, even mammals. Cats, many dogs, squirrels, mice, rats, etc. are all smaller. Birds, lizards, frogs, fish, most of them are smaller and weaker than us

[–]unkownjoe   2 points3 points  (1 child)

Id say quite a few snakes too.

[–]jooes   9 points10 points  (6 children)

It's fucked up, but it makes a bit of sense.

Everything else you buy at a grocery store is dead long before you bring it home, so if you're not used to dealing with crab or lobster, it's not that much of a stretch to assume that they're probably dead too. It's not like they fight back or anything.

[–]mydogwillbeinmyheart   2 points3 points  (4 children)

I get they have to be fresh. But I don't get why they don't kill them before cooking them. A cut through the brain. A quick step to decrease the suffering of the animal.

[–]Useless_Fox   2 points3 points  (2 children)

Not saying it's true, but I'm pretty sure the long standing belief is that they "don't feel pain". The same thought is often applied to fish as well. Hence why many people don't feel bad at all when boiling certain creatures alive.

[–]gaffman666   4 points5 points  (1 child)

fish do not have the neuro-physiological capacity for a conscious awareness of pain, but they still have the awareness that a threat is presently affecting them.

[–]WhatAnotherAccount   97 points98 points  (14 children)

https://youtu.be/K4lYIJzY8uY

Same scene but it wasn’t the vegan that tore it apart. There was someone else tearing it apart, however.

[–]shorttowngirl   2 points3 points  (5 children)

I’ve never actually watched Gordon Ramsay before but wow I never expected him to actually be that nice?

[–]MrJohnsonDJ   3 points4 points  (2 children)

When he does shows in the US, he’s mean because it causes drama which means TV rating goes up. When he does shows outside of the US, he’s not yelling or cussing. Because they don’t care about reality shows like the US.

[–]MockSniFFy   2 points3 points  (0 children)

To be honest it's more about the show than where it's at. In his Hell's ___ series he's generally putting on a mean front for the show. In MasterChef US, where the video in question is from, he's actually quite reassuring and pleasant.

[–]godzira4life   161 points162 points  (14 children)

What episode was it? or maybe a YouTube link would do.

Edit: nvm I found it turns out it’s a crab

Edit 2: link since you guys are marauding me

Master chef vegan kills crab

[–]CapnBloodbeard   18 points19 points  (4 children)

I don't watch masterchef....and i have to admit, while I'd heard that Ramsay is actually a nice guy i has never seen it before. Kudos to him

[–]Betancorea   26 points27 points  (3 children)

He's only really mean to incompetent actual chefs and there's nothing wrong with that. If you're a trained chef and your cooking standards are piss poor, you deserve to be called out both for being a lousy chef but also risking customer health.

In Masterchef we have amateur cooks, that's a different world and Ramsay knows that. So he's patient, he's teaching, he understands you can't expect an amateur to know how to be professional without training

[–]joshak   48 points49 points  (1 child)

Imagine going your whole life without killing an animal and then breaking that for fucking Masterchef of all things.

[–]Prit717   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Idk about y’all, but I def couldn’t do it

[–]tuituituituii   16 points17 points  (11 children)

Why would a vegan participate in that? It's obvious they're gonna ask you to cook stuff that goes against your beliefs.

[–]thesoundmindpodcast   21 points22 points  (3 children)

Thanks, I just gasped in bed and woke people up.

[–]InevitableAstronaut   39 points40 points  (2 children)

How many people

[–]thesoundmindpodcast   2 points3 points  (0 children)

A vegan, a lobster, and chef Ramsay.

[–]FinsT00theleft   125 points126 points  (19 children)

Read the Essay, "Consider the Lobster" by David Foster Wallace. Gourmet Magazine hired him (at the time he was an intellectual type writer) to go to the Maine Lobster Festival and write an article about it for their upscale readers. Well, he turned in something that the editors at "Gourmet" Magazine were definitely NOT expecting - LOL! But after much soul-searching and debate they decided to publish it anyway. It's an awesome read - just Google it and you'll be able to read it online.

[–]SPP_TheChoiceForMe   36 points37 points  (11 children)

So that's what he's been up to ever since leaving Dunder Mifflin

[–]zzyzx_pazuzu   2 points3 points  (2 children)

Great essay. Just re:listened to the audiobook version read by Wallace himself a couple weeks ago.

[–]gracecamille   137 points138 points  (22 children)

“Consider the Lobster” is a great read on this lol. Agreed, it’s horrifying and we go to great lengths to excuse the torture we cause other creatures.

[–]abyssalcrisis   5 points6 points  (3 children)

Reading “Consider the Lobster” threw me for a loop.

And then I had to write an essay about it and I was emotionally distraught.

[–]ExtraMegaDoge   23 points24 points  (1 child)

Some chefs dispatch the the lobster first before throwing it into the pot.

[–]GStar321   9 points10 points  (0 children)

Officer Lobster, we have a possible 211 in progress on the corner of Washington and Fifth, gonna need you to go check that out. When you get back we’ll be boiling you.

[–]weastwardbound   125 points126 points  (18 children)

You should read “Consider The Lobster”.

[–]Cream1984   141 points142 points  (8 children)

I’ll consider it

[–]Swattishe   30 points31 points  (6 children)

You should consider watching The Lobster

[–]11trobo   5 points6 points  (0 children)

Immediately thought of this once I read the title. Great essay, great author.

[–]RedditIsJustAwful   2 points3 points  (1 child)

I am surprised this is so low

I was fully expecting it to be the top comment

[–]PunctualPoetry   86 points87 points  (6 children)

It’s common for restaurants to first kill them. There is no health reason associated with boiling alive.

[–]shicole3   14 points15 points  (3 children)

Anyone else seen that girl on YouTube who eats life sea creature all the fucking time. It’s fucking disgusting.

[–]Jump792   [S] 5 points6 points  (1 child)

Apparently yes. Good chunk of comments about some girl who abused and eats things alive.

[–]shicole3   2 points3 points  (0 children)

I recommend not looking it up.

[–]Comale0126   57 points58 points  (32 children)

One of my classes in culinary school actually taught us how to humanely kill a lobster in one quick motion with a knife right before you boil it. My chef said for one of the certification exams he had to take they would fail people for not handling them humanely. We were taught you need to respect the animals you eat.

[–]squirrels33   12 points13 points  (7 children)

You’d hate living in Louisiana.

[–]gerkinvangogh   9 points10 points  (4 children)

but OP, what's the difference between the inhumane killing of lobsters versus all life forms that are killed mercilessly for food?

[–]googoomuck2k   10 points11 points  (13 children)

Coming from r/Louisiana, this just wouldn't work for us from a logistical standpoint.

https://i.redd.it/ta1er9r3hh651.jpg

[–]cavehumanoid   8 points9 points  (8 children)

this is why i became vegetarian

[–]strugglingwithsza   74 points75 points  (17 children)

It's a good thing that I can't recall a single crustacean dish that I enjoy eating so I never have to deal with this.

[–][deleted] 241 points242 points  (209 children)

Most animals are killed in a pretty fucked up way for us to eat them. You should watch the movie dominion. It’s free on youtube Edit: even just cutting down on your meat and dairy consumption will help the cause. Think about eating vegan even if it’s only sometimes!

[–]not_cinderella   27 points28 points  (17 children)

Thank you! I shouldn’t have clicked on this thread I want to vomit.

[–]ap1indoorsoncomputer   12 points13 points  (16 children)

Just know that if you eat animal products, unless they are from an elite level organic free range ethical farm, or you hunt them yourself, they have gone through unbearable agony to get to your plate. Chickens are boiled alive, pigs are steamed to death, their lives are spent in complete misery and pain, like something from the worst horror movie you've seen. It's like a nightmare, a dystopia, that this level of torture is still happening.

[–]SteadyStone   50 points51 points  (6 children)

I second this idea, though I haven't watched that movie. Slaughterhouses already have a name that suggests they're terrible, but it really is horrifying. Just imagine humans going through that process.

[–]ap1indoorsoncomputer   17 points18 points  (3 children)

I had to pause it 15 min in because the horror was too much. Still haven't finished it.

[–]ReiKiriyamaShogi   11 points12 points  (0 children)

Good luck dude. It changed my life for sure. Report back when you’re done

[–]devvie78   3 points4 points  (1 child)

I hope you kept watching. I rewatch it occasionally, in chapters, just to remind myself that my cravings for whatever animal based food is worth nothing. I can eat something else.

[–][deleted] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Watch the movie, it will change your life

[–]Jaymongous   17 points18 points  (3 children)

I skimmed to the middle, watched maybe 20 seconds of the goat segment, and it literally ruined my night. I hate the human race.

[–][deleted] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Yep. Check out r/vegan if you want to stop these kinds of things

[–]Nozinger   3 points4 points  (0 children)

Do not make this exclusive to animals we actually eat.
Ever killed a spider or an insect? Those poor fuckers most likely didn't mean any harm to you at all. Yes there are exceptions but most of the time they are completely harmless. All they did was stumble into your living space and you just smashed them because you decided you don't want that thing to exist in this place.
You didn't intend to eat it, you did not kill it to survive. You just went "well this thing is annoying" and splat that's it.

Humans really are fucked up creatures....On the other hand insects get squashed by accident all the time so nature figured out they should just reproduce fast enough that it is not an issue. It's still a dead animal though.

[–]ixora7   13 points14 points  (10 children)

Genuinely have been thinking of going vegan or at least vegetarian.

[–]Yung-Creeper   6 points7 points  (0 children)

You should! After about a year of feeling wrong for eating meat in the back of my mind I turned veggie about a month ago. Its honestly not too difficult, I'm enjoying it more than when I ate meat.

[–]Ms_Luxlisbon   8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yay you! If you want to know how to get started, there are a lot of educational "beginner" videos on YouTube. Otherwise feel free to come over to r/vegan and just ask away. There are a million awesome meals waiting for you 🌱

[–][deleted] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Watch the movie dominion! I think you will make a choice after seeing it

[–]LivingMonstrosity23   154 points155 points  (57 children)

If they have the power to kill us and eat it, they would.

[–]shimmynywimminy   14 points15 points  (0 children)

"We have no compassion and we ask no compassion from you. When our turn comes, we shall not make excuses for the terror" -lobster marx

[–]Jump792   [S] 67 points68 points  (19 children)

Something something Batman.

[–]slamsmcaukin   12 points13 points  (5 children)

Yea but they don't and never will

[–]Kangarookas   42 points43 points  (5 children)

Wait til you hear about other animals.

[–]Praisethehsun   23 points24 points  (4 children)

Everyone on reddit gets their meat from their uncles factory farm where the animals are petted to death.

[–]Spacegrass1978   6 points7 points  (0 children)

And then given a proper burial before being packaged.

[–]devvie78   5 points6 points  (0 children)

And they respect the animals life when it’s dead on their plates. Has to count for something, right?

[–]Lukestar222   13 points14 points  (0 children)

Yeah man kill it with a knife first

[–]SuperFluffyness   6 points7 points  (21 children)

Then people get mad at me for considering going vegan for ethical reasons.

The more I look into it, the less I want to be part of it

And the pushback is surreal

[–]macafeu88   6 points7 points  (1 child)

This doesn't beat grinding male chicks alive cause they can't provide eggs which is a globally widespread practice.

[–]NotPenguin_124   39 points40 points  (42 children)

This is why animal cruelty laws are a joke. They are completely arbitrary and usually hypocritical at best. But because it’s such an emotion driven subject, trying to discuss it logically is forbidden.

[–]i-love-tree-rats   18 points19 points  (3 children)

Google search reviewed it takes 2 to 3 minutes for a lobster to die in boiling water. OMG. Thanks for posting OP.

[–]devvie78   2 points3 points  (1 child)

Fun fact: most pigs are killed with co2. They go through the same thing, for just as long, except they are boiling from the insides.

[–]AhhBitch   19 points20 points  (7 children)

Downvote me to shit but how do all of you agree with this but don’t care about the animal industry and continue to consume animal products?

[–]sunnysunflowers11   11 points12 points  (6 children)

People are uninformed which is really sad. They don’t think about what they can’t see because the meat industry is quite good at hiding their practices.

[–]v3spasian   7 points8 points  (5 children)

No they are not. Nobody is that stupid that they don't know where meat eggs and milk come from. They don't want to think about it. Even if you hand raise your own little piggie and love and care for it and it lives the happiest life at the end of the day you need to put a knife to its throat in order to eat fucking bacon...

[–]sunnysunflowers11   3 points4 points  (4 children)

They might know where dairy and eggs come from but not about the processes that the industry uses to get them. I had no idea until half a year ago when I went vegan. You know superficially where these products come from but if all you’re shown by ads and media is that all the animals are happy and nobody dies or suffers, you wouldn’t know. It’s easy to believe the lies that the animals can be happy and die “humanely” if you’ve never been exposed to the reality. If everyone knew about these processes in their full image, most people wouldn’t consume these products. They don’t think about it and they take it for granted. I’ve spoken to so many people who had no idea cows have to die for dairy or chicks for eggs. Nobody tells you about the industries.

[–]v3spasian   3 points4 points  (3 children)

Yeah I get you. But I guess what I was trying to say is: They don't want to know these things. My whole family went vegan/vegetarian after I became a vegan(god bless them) except my dad. One day we where casually talking about industry practices(not even in a specific or overly condemning manner) he said "could you please stop talking about that stuff. I want to enjoy my meal(steak)."

That really stuck with me man. They don't want to think about that. Thats why omnis generally don't like vegans. Our mere existence is indirectly calling them out...

[–]sunnysunflowers11   2 points3 points  (2 children)

You're absolutely right. They don't want to know because it's uncomfortable. Couple years ago, one of my former highschool classmates went vegan and started posting industry videos and photos. I was a classic vegan hater and her content was getting to me so I unfriended her. Now I'm thinking back to it and I feel bad for doing that because in hindsight, she was basically the one who planted the seed for me to go vegan much later. I regret not doing it earlier.

And yes, people are threatened by vegans because when your ethical code makes you abstain from animal flesh that they consume, they feel that it is an attack on them and that you are automatically looking down on them or judging them. They get defensive without even realising. Sometimes I don't know how to react to it. I don't know to what extent I can blame them because ignorance on this topic is so strong and people are scared of giving up what they have been taught is essential to health. But on the bright side, it gives me hope that if someone as anti vegan as me could one day have a full change of mind, others will one day too even if they fight against you in that moment :)

[–]JingleHymerSchmitt   12 points13 points  (9 children)

I have a friend who works at a lobster pound and occasionally gives me lobsters. I thank him then take a short drive to the ocean, take the rubber bands off and let them go.

[–]Limada89   10 points11 points  (0 children)

Vegan for the innocent. 💚💚💚

[–]aerben   15 points16 points  (2 children)

It's pretty fucked up that we eat sentient beings at all.

[–]somebody1765   88 points89 points  (43 children)

I’ve thought this my whole life. I hate it so much. We don’t even slowly heat it up! We just plunge them from ice into boiling water!!! I hate watching them try to escape, my brain makes me imagine their screams. God I hate it so much

Edit: Guys I literally know nothing I’m sorry

[–]jp1438   124 points125 points  (14 children)

Slowly heating it up would be worse and take longer to kill it

[–]stormzerino   22 points23 points  (1 child)

Doesnt the ice slow them down towhere theyre basically dead though?I could be wrong,please inform me if i am

[–]altfillischryan   30 points31 points  (0 children)

Pretty much. Lobsters are unable to control their own body temperature, so the cold basically puts them to sleep and immobilizes them. Once put in the boiling water, it kills them before they wake up and start thrashing around.

[–]lostprevention   18 points19 points  (17 children)

You eat lobster often?

[–]itsjustme1901   43 points44 points  (15 children)

Seriously tho, I’m no sadist, but this thread is making me hungry.

[–]lostprevention   15 points16 points  (11 children)

No kidding. I think I’ve had lobster like three times in my life... and never at home.

Who are all these people boiling lobster at home all the time????

[–]nxw2003   19 points20 points  (2 children)

They’re probably from the northeastern usa.

[–]Commie_Diogenes   3 points4 points  (0 children)

New Englanders

[–]woosel   13 points14 points  (2 children)

Yeah I really fancy having some lobster now. I’m not even trying to be edgy I think the brain just associates the word with the cooked dish on the plate rather than the animal, and therefore reading about it being tortured to death doesn’t compute as animal abuse rather just a reminder of a pleasant meal.

[–]electramada   18 points19 points  (0 children)

Top of the food chain problems.

[–]itsjustme1901   7 points8 points  (0 children)

Cracking open a leg and dipping it a lil? Sounds sooo good.

[–]Frankensteins_Poet   2 points3 points  (2 children)

Well there would be no screams, it can't feel any pain at all

[–]xtatica505   4 points5 points  (1 child)

I've always found it fucked, i really have no idea how could people find it absolutely okay

[–]MantuaMatters   4 points5 points  (8 children)

I also believe it is really fucked up. Then again, I dont kill anything unless its a mosquito or tick.

[–]kathleenkellig   8 points9 points  (5 children)

I have always thought this. Why is it done this way anyways?

[–]on_cloud_wine   18 points19 points  (0 children)

Crustaceans have bacteria which produce toxins and these multiply rapidly once the lobster is dead. These are not necessarily destroyed by cooking.

Cooking the lobster alive minimises buildup of any toxins, but so does killing the lobster humanely just before cooking. So there is really no justifiable reason to boil them alive.

[–]moleratt1   18 points19 points  (24 children)

Also gassing pigs. And blending up live baby chickens. Animal agriculture is fucked.

[–]vaskeklut8   3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've always thought that their tiny brains got fried instantly by the boiling water.

Is it so that the shell shields the brain long enough, so that the animal registres pain?

I truly do not know what is right here....

[–]Razkharn   4 points5 points  (0 children)

This one is a weird one, because in practice I've never seen lobster put into boiling water without the cook putting a knife through the cross on the top of the head first, instantly killing it. Wouldn't throwing the lobster straight into the water make it toughen up too much?

[–]Filip6666   3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think in most places they ki the lobster before cooking it though. Boiling alive sea food is still nothing serious in Asian countries though. I've seen octopus getting boiled alive and it was a macabre view. The way he tried to get out of the pot and was grabbing onto it, some scary shit. This should not be legal. Small sea food yes, because they die instantly in boiling water, like snails, but not anything bigger.

[–]yaToast25   4 points5 points  (0 children)

Not an unpopular opinion. I'm a chef and i will always dispatch them as humanely as possible. Dont get me wrong putting a knife through a lobsters head gets me everytime, it sucks. I think its the better option, I mean i wouldnt want to be boiled alive....

[–]BergenNorth   4 points5 points  (0 children)

They used to think babies didn't feel pain

[–]lumpy_snake   4 points5 points  (12 children)

Your post made me realize that I'd be vegan if I had to kill myself for the meat I eat.

Kinda hypocritical aren't I?

[–]NicolasName   6 points7 points  (3 children)

Don’t worry about the hypocrisy imo. Just consider transitioning to a plant-based diet.

Guilt does nothing to stop animals from being abused. Action does.

[–]JoikBear   12 points13 points  (8 children)

I always kill my crab before cooking. I clean them at the beach. I'm not doing that shit at my house.

[–]NikkiRainne   6 points7 points  (0 children)

In this case, I'm really glad that i don't particularly love eating crustaceans.

[–]crookedtoons_   6 points7 points  (4 children)

Thank you! Whenever I wonder aloud about the ethics of boiling crustaceans I either get weird looks or my friends mock me and tell me to go join PETA.

[–]Random_182f2565   [🍰] 17 points18 points  (12 children)

Can I interest you in a diet free of animal cruelty?

[–]NigTanto   8 points9 points  (0 children)

Think of all the lab rats. Being boiled alive would be a quick and painless death compared to the experiments, literal hells they are put through.

The worst part is we can't stop otherwise kids with cancer suffer. Along with everyone else in need of research and medication. The price for a single life is the death of many more.

[–]TheJosiahTurner   6 points7 points  (0 children)

Just shoot the lobster first lmao

[–]chillinchilli   5 points6 points  (3 children)

Lobster is majorly overrated. I just don't get it. I have had it and paid over the odds but just tastes like fish. I never understood the glorified status it has.

[–]Starbourne_69   57 points58 points  (86 children)

We slaughter animals daily, and other animals, such as cats play with their prey, what's the difference here other than the degree of suffering? I eat animals and I'm able to live with that

[–]somebody1765   19 points20 points  (3 children)

Being boiled alive is a helluva lot worse than a swift shot to the head. Just saying.

[–]SarahPalmer2   9 points10 points  (1 child)

It's a hell of a lot better to live a life and then die a painful death then to spend your life in a cage and have it ended before you even have a chance to realize. The way we treat lobsters and practically all seafood is far more humane than how we treat the mammals we eat.

And we know for a fact the mammals have human like emotions and needs.

[–]DoctorWaluigiTime   3 points4 points  (0 children)

Both are still really bad though. And unnecessary.

[–]cool-kid-kyle-   34 points35 points  (16 children)

We are able to prevent a horrible death, would you like to be boiled alive?

[–]Jump792   [S] 59 points60 points  (31 children)

  1. We're not cats.

  2. That's the only difference, and it's a hell of a lot of agony in being boiled alive.

[–]reaverdude   4 points5 points  (2 children)

I didn't think it was that big of a deal until I bought a live crab from the store for the first time. I thought just dumping it in boiling water would be quick, but damn was I wrong.

As soon as I put the crab into the boiling water it clamped onto the side of the pot like it was holding on for dear life before succumbing to it's fate. They definitely feel pain, but I don't know how else to kill a crab humanely without altering the meat too much.

[–]nova1475369   2 points3 points  (1 child)

My mom always 1 stab through the shell, it kills them nice and quick before doing any things, the only exception she doesn't do that is crawfish. So I thought that the common way to prepare crustaceans?

[–]mei_lunar   2 points3 points  (0 children)

This reminded my of this YouTuber called ssoyoung who got a lot of backlash for torturing sea animals in the past before she killed and ate them. It was screwed up but I think she stopped doing it after people called her out on the inhumanness of her actions.

[–]AyaPrimrose   2 points3 points  (1 child)

I have more unpopular opinion: lets not eat them and we wont have to kill them at all

[–]Fenpunx   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Any unnecessary murder and violence to sate a palate is pretty fucked up.

[–]Emrico1   2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was told to freeze them. Sounds bad but apparently they go into a sleep hibernation

[–]Tyrannapus   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Quick stab to the head would fix this.

A lot of people don’t see this as being as fucked up as the people who make bears dance while cutting and cooking them, and typing it out, yeah, probably not as fucked up, but still pretty fucked up.

[–]TheGrimGuardian   2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was gonna say, I'm not aware of who still does that. A quick knife stab to the back of the head and they're dead.

[–]gh8lkdshds   2 points3 points  (1 child)

The less cute something is, the more cruel humans can be towards them.

[–]MNR42   2 points3 points  (1 child)

These stupid people, they can't accept the term "reduce animals suffering" as they don't feel what animals feel.

If we wanna eat animals, show these animals some respect. I rather respect a vegan or vegetarian than respecting these kinda people.

Just kill the sea animal quickly! Or cut of their spinal cord so that they don't suffer.

All the people that think they can cook better never listen as if they're professional enough that everyone are counter inferior😂

In japan, there's a process called ikijime. It's about the most humane way to kill a fish and how to keep it fresh.

I just wanna say that "If we wanna eat animals, show some respect to them"

[–]MNR42   2 points3 points  (0 children)

Btw, I don't consider you a vegan. You respect the animal. The animal deserves some respect too

[–]therickestnm   2 points3 points  (2 children)

Don’t look up the preparation of fugu then

[–]stikky   2 points3 points  (1 child)

I was curious about what made fois gras such a popular dish. After watching a documentary, I'll never ever eat it by choice due to its process.

[–]DidiBug   4 points5 points  (0 children)

Horrific

[–]kingpiss   2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was always taught to stab them in the dick to kill them first

what fucking animal just throws them in boiling water

[–]cerebralvenom   2 points3 points  (1 child)

A few years ago some philosophers and biologists got together and did a bit of moral investigation on this very topic.

Essentially they found that crustaceans, e.g. Lobsters, have the same central nervous system set up as many other invertibrates, namely bugs. They decided that lobsters don’t have a moral standing because they are essentially only responding to stimuli. Which is to say they don’t necessarily feel pain, they just respond to a sensation.

This is a far more dumbed down version than the actual paper, because I haven’t read it in years. But the point is, bugs and lobsters don’t technically suffer, therefore hurting them is not immoral.

Take that as you will, I still try to pick spiders up instead of killing them. And I don’t burn them alive for fun. Just food for thought.

Edit: For clarification.

[–]PoetBakerSlut   2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'll agree that you should kill lobsters humanely before cooking them (obviously, anyone should), but with a quick google search it seems the jury is out on whether Lobsters actually can feel pain. Some sources say yes, some say no, and yet more say 'I dunno'. The obvious answer is that if you aren't sure, go with the worst answer- assume they can feel pain and act accordingly.

You wouldn't want your alien overlords boiling you alive just because they aren't yet sure if you can feel pain.

[–]imfromthepast   2 points3 points  (3 children)

Sorry, but it would be very inconvenient to stab each crawfish in the head before boiling them when a typical crawfish boil involves hundreds if not thousands of crawfish.

ETA: My last name is Boudreaux and I am from Bourg, Louisiana, so I know of what I speak.

[–]vjivjwe   2 points3 points  (1 child)

Hypocritic and stupid

[–]Painless_Candy   2 points3 points  (2 children)

It's pretty fucked up we feed mice a drug that causes their alveoli to collapse essentially drowning them in their own blood and mucus just because we don't like them, but you don't see anybody complaining about that...

[–]absurdness   2 points3 points  (1 child)

Maybe stick to your normal soy diet then?

[–]SixteenSeveredHands   2 points3 points  (1 child)

This is exactly why I don't go crabbing anymore.

When I was a little kid, we used to go out to Puget Sound to go crabbing in the summer, then we'd bring them back home and my mom would cook them. As she waited for the pot to boil, I would sit on the kitchen floor and let the crabs wander around with me. I remember the horrible realization, when I was about 7, that she was actually boiling them alive, and it was really upsetting. I haven't gone crabbing since I was a little kid, 'cause I can't figure out a practical way to kill them humanely (I eventually ran into a similar problem with fishing).

Sometimes we just don't stop to think about customs like this, and we avoid thinking about it because it's problematic. I wouldn't really condemn anyone else for doing this...but yeah, these animals are alive, they feel pain and fear, and we should at least try to keep that in mind.